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I have an healthy obsession with college Alabama football. Other than reading, my favorite form of relaxation is making tomato sauces. I can still beat my thirteen year old at chess but I see the beginnings of my downfall. He's getting better so I play my seven year old more often these days. I can still dunk on him.
In my life I've been a bartender, waiter, cook, and restaurant manager. I spent seven years working as a sommelier although I still need to spellcheck the word and am very happy … [more]

Pictures can capture a Presidency. There’s the miserable circumstance that was captured as LBJ was sworn in, a happy Reagan on horseback, Nixon with two hands up making vees, and W serving Thanksgiving dinner to troops abroad. The right frozen moment gives you an idea of the man. Remember mom jeans?

I’ve settled into the idea that the Trump Presidency was best captured on August 21, 2017. He looked, unprotected, at an eclipse. You aren’t supposed to do that. Not according to experts.

From Chris Cillizza: “There’s literally only one rule with eclipses: Don’t look at the sun during them. Which brings me to the President of the United States.” Literally one?

Trump was mocked a bit online, but he’s still not blind.

I think this goes to the heart of the recently mocked video of Don Lemon and guests laughing that Trump’s voters are rubes video. It’s not that they are rubes. Not at all.

There are people who heed warnings. There are people who don’t. But most of us heed warnings and temper them with experience.

We have had thousands of years of eclipses before we had optometrists. You’re telling me that nobody looked? In the age before television and writing with no warnings about the possible damage from looking right at a covered up star we are to believe that everybody didn’t watch with rapt attention and still took down mammoths a week or so later?

There are those that are told, and those that test. The lesson from Chesterson’s Fence is not to never tear down a fence. It’s to know why you do so.

If anyone takes this post as license to stare into the sun or an eclipse I’m going to kick you right in the moderator forbidden zone, but a glance?

That’s Trump. He’s the guy that was told not to do something and thought the minders were too careful. He was right. They aren’t the most thoughtful lot. Stay between the lines and all is well, do what you’re told, but deviate and face hysteria. Too many on the Left are just waiting to be told what to think.

That’s Trump. He’s the guy that was told not to do something and thought the minders were too careful. He was right. They aren’t the most thoughtful lot. Stay between the lines and all is well, do what you’re told, but deviate and face hysteria. Too many on the Left are just waiting to be told what to think.

True. He makes bold changes and a lot of people aren’t comfortable with change. Or boldness.

That’s actually one reason I don’t think he is dangerous long term at all. There are just not that many people who hear, “don’t look directly at an eclipse” and do it anyway. Even less who can get themselves elected President. Trump isn’t going to destroy the Presidency, he is there for a time… and it will stretch and grow… and then someone else will come along and it will change some more.

I still don’t watch Trump speeches but he is doing what I want done so it is OK. I laugh at the NeverTrumpers who keep hoping something will come along to validate their hatred. I thought Obama was an empty suit (and still do) but was not about to embarrass myself by openly protesting. We will get through the next few years. After that? Who knows?

I still don’t watch Trump speeches but he is doing what I want done so it is OK. I laugh at the NeverTrumpers who keep hoping something will come along to validate their hatred. I thought Obama was an empty suit (and still do) but was not about to embarrass myself by openly protesting. We will get through the next few years. After that? Who knows?

I mentioned in an earlier post that I rarely watch speeches. I prefer to read them the next day. You get a better sense of the ideas freed from any emotion tainted by the crowd’s mood or nerves. If you haven’t, W’s speeches, or at least his speech writers were particularly good.